Weekly Thoughts 6/24/23

Right after I published my big thing last week about the Fish-Man Island arc, the trailer for the live action One Piece came out. For a long time, I was holding few expectations of it; I was glad to know Oda was involved and insisted on his approval before release, but it’s hard to expect Netflix to make an American live action adaptation of a manga and have it turn out well, you know? And when I first saw the trailer, I was a bit worried that it looked like it was made out of action figures. You know that aesthetic? Like I was worried they didn’t put as much effort into it as they could. That’s wrong, though. I watched it again and thought about it, and it looks amazing. It’s going to be really fun, the cast is great, and it looks the way it should. The cartooniness of it is what makes it work. I’m looking forward to it.

This week, I decided to do a vaguely Pride-related post and talk about what characters I think are queer in manga. Because I am reading One Piece right now and just finished the Totto-Land arc as I begin writing this, I’ll start there. Robin, hands down, is bi. Right? I don’t have a big argument about this, it’s just such an obvious vibe. The most concrete thing I could point to is how she’s always thinking of cute things and says the most grisly things possible, which feels like a very bi move. And Perona, that haunted house bisexual. And Koala; she was crushing on Robin during the time skip. So is Carrot, pure vibes.

Nami, though, probably does require some explanation, and I can provide it. I think she’s gay. This being a battle manga, it’s not exactly weird for most of the characters to not think of or indicate their romantic and sexual interests unless it’s an overt character trait, like with Sanji. But trope or not, it’s still a fact we get just about nothing from her. Since she knows and cares so much about the whole crew – and this applies to everyone – it’s hard to imagine that she wouldn’t have coupled up at this point if she were seriously interested in it. If hook-ups occurred, we would see it in the dynamic of the crew, and they would have happened by now. And there is one time we did see Nami say something related to her interests, and that’s when she saw Kalifa rub soap bubbles out of her skin and say, “So sexy! I wish I had a secretary like that!” And I know what the nay-sayers will point out, but it doesn’t matter if it’s a joke. Nami actually said it. All statements and actions meant as jokes for readers in a story are actual serious statements and actions to the characters, unless the characters were joking in-world. So there.

Dellinger of the Don Quixote Pirates is nonbinary. I don’t care what sort of tropey “a thousand non-queer reasons for a nonconforming person” nonsense Oda throws out about their upbringing, I know Dellinger. They’re a perfect little enby killer who took out multiple of the captains of the new Straw Hat Fleet. On another note, I do want to expand a bit about what I talked about last week, because I realize that the drag queen characters that have appeared in the series are not inherently gender queer just because of how they dress and whatnot. People of all genders perform in drag. But the big ones that we see in One Piece – Mr. 2 Bon Clay, Emporio Ivankov, and Inazuma – are definitely not cis. Bon-chan’s codename is a direct reference to how they identify, as stated in their training theme: “This world was made for men and women, but when you’re me, you’re both a man and a woman, and that’s why I’m the strongest!” Ivankov and Inazuma both use the Emporio’s Horm-Horm powers to switch between male and female-presenting bodies whenever the mood strikes, a change-up not for the faint of heart or for those who don’t feel it’s needed in their life. Plus, Ivankov’s title is Emporio, a made-up gender neutral title, and apparently was using an original self-identifying pronoun in Japanese (if you don’t know, Japanese has multiple words like “I,” and they’re gendered). So for the first two, it seems like Oda was reverse-engineering the concept of a nonbinary identity with little knowledge of the concept in reality. Inazuma, we get a lot less info about, but the fact that they switched between body types indicates as much about them. The rest of the New Kamas of New Kama Land and the Kamabaka Queendom also likely include a healthy dose of trans and nonbinary people, given that they have to transition as part of citizenship and their anti-binary mindset. The cisgender New Kamas probably don’t view their own genders in the same way as those in the rest of society, either.

Among the men of the series…I gotta say, maybe I’m not thinking openly enough, it’s just hard to see most of them that way. They’re all so stereotypically manly in a story where queerness is often coded as non-manly, you know? Brook could be bi; he’s an old gentleman musician. Sabo, I can definitely see being in a romantic triangle with Koala and Hack. The big one, though, is Luffy, who’s definitely ace. And aro? Maybe. Oda even said that to Luffy, beauty is just a categorical description that he doesn’t care about that way. And it really fits his personality. On a similar note, Goku is also ace, and I’m willing to pull the trigger on aromantic. We’ve seen Goku in a lot of situations where he could have shown interest in literally anyone and never has. Even Chi-Chi. I think they only had sex to have kids. The fact that Goku didn’t know what a kiss was really says a lot about their relationship, and makes me rethink what I assume about Chi-Chi. She doesn’t strike me as ace or aro, but she also never kisses Goku, even when they conceived their children? She went to the tournament because of a romantic fantasy! Interesting facts to square, those.

While we’re talking Dragon Ball, Tien and Chaozu are both ace, right? They’re platonic life partners, and there’s no convincing me otherwise. Piccolo is, as well, and that’s true of the whole Namekian race. I realize there was no forethought put into it, but it’s still amazing to look at Namek. They’re an agender, aromantic, asexual, classless society of peers and elders with no need for money or armies! They’re like an alt version of the Amazons! It’s really great, and it provides the possibility for a lot of interesting interpretations and representation. Probably won’t get a lot of that in the series, of course. Toriyama has no idea what he created there.

Reno Ichikawa from Kaiju No. 8 and Shin the Clairvoyant from Sakamoto Days are both bi, I’m pretty sure. They’re the same character, and even had the same moment in their character arcs published at the same time once. Just a vibe thing, really. They’re into authority and talent, so they have a crush on their mentors. Kafka better what his back, though, because Iharu’s coming for him. High-Rise Invasion has all but said that Yuri is bi, but there’s just enough wiggle room for idiots to say she just really cares for Nise like a friend. That’s part of why I’m so mad we didn’t see if she kissed Nise on the lips or forehead before going off to get the mouthless mask. Like, yeah, she shouldn’t kiss an unconscious girl on the lips, but I need to know if that was the move! If you’re not reading High-Rise Invasion as a yuri manga, you’re reading it wrong. Sniper Mask is also bi, but he’s got no time for anyone in the high-rise realm. He’s so freaking cool. He’ll go back home, have his all-genders harem vying for attention, and pick his favorite. Kuon will be so disappointed it’s not her, but obviously not her, right? Not just for the obvious reason.

Now, onto the complicated web of relationships that is Non Non Biyori. We know that Hotaru is gay already, and I feel bad for her. Not just because she was moved from a big city to the butt crack country, where she has far fewer opportunities to meet other queer kids, but because she’s so obvious about it and everyone around her is oblivious. But do I want her to get with Koma-chan? Of course not! I think she has to try, but Koma-chan simply can’t be what Hotaru needs her to be. She’ll break Hotaru’s heart. And when that happens, it’ll be Natsumi who hears her out, and that’ll bloom into something good for both of them. Because Koma-chan and Natsumi are designed as foils, for every reason Koma-chan doesn’t work for Hotaru, Natsumi does. Natsumi brings out the side of Hotaru no one else sees, the side Hotaru’s embarrassed about. Oh, all of this hinges on how I assume Natsumi is gay, of course. Let’s be honest, I don’t think any of them are straight.

After Koma-chan breaks Hotaru’s heart, she’ll also be a mess. She wants to be what Hotaru wants, but can’t see Hotaru that way. At that moment, Konomi comes home from college (because this is a few years later), and sees Koma-chan in shambles. As they talk, Koma-chan realizes that Konomi is to her what Hotaru wanted her to be, and it’s what she wants, too. It’s too late for that, though. Now that Konomi is an adult, she’s ready to get Kaede on the same page. Kaede is a hard nut to crack, and Konomi’s the only one who can do it. Little Renge has no ship at the moment, but she’s a kid. She’s got plenty of time to grow up. I know this article isn’t about shipping theories, but where else am I gonna talk about this? A separate article exclusively shipping Non Non Biyori characters? Don’t encourage me.

Both the leads in My Dress-Up Darling are bi. Marin is very open about it, even if she hasn’t said it in as many words. She wants in Juju-sama’s pants so badly, and she has huge crushes on all the women characters she cosplays. Wakana isn’t as obvious because he’s still pretty far in the closet. He has all those hang-ups about not being able to express himself or his happiness up until this school year. He’ll get there, though, and he’ll definitely have a crossdressing fetish. Marin is an exception to the rule, at least for the moment, but I can fully see him being attracted to AFAB people dressed as men, and vice versa. He’s super into the dress-up element and finds the talent and ingenuity involved with crossdressing to be the tipping point from whim to desire. If he and Marin end up getting married, he’ll beg Marin to let him design her a tuxedo. They’ll probably compromise on a combination tuxedo-dress.

Gigan is clearly the nonbinary idol of the Godzilla series. Have you seen them? They’re great. It’s hard to make clear arguments about the presumed gender of monsters, so just trust me here. I did like how, in that action figure show, they made “feminine” Gigans with two smaller buzzsaws instead of one big one; it’s cute, but it also doesn’t change my opinion about the original. Hedorah is an enby, too, whether as a whole or a collective. They’re the revenge we get for trying to kill us out with toxic culture. A similar argument could be made for Destroyah, but honestly, I think he’s a guy. The arms race he’s a part of feels too overtly masculine to me. Giant Octopus is an enby. Varan is trans, as is Mothra Leo. You can’t fool me with that “Mothra’s son” crap; Mothra is a feminist icon, and Mothra Leo is a transfeminist icon who’s constantly transitioning to become more powerful. Who says the caterpillar is done when it becomes a butterfly? Become a second kind of butterfly! A third, even!

Which of the JoJo’s are gay? Great question that, I’m told, this just in, no one else is asking. So, I think Johnathan is out of the running. He’s as milquetoast as they come. Joseph, I can definitely see being bi, or at least desperately want. He’s the best JoJo. Jotaro isn’t bi, for sure, so without knowledge of his relationship with the mother of his daughter, I would put my money on straight. I’m reading Part 5 on the Jump app, and I will not be reading ahead or looking into the series outside of my reading. Josuke is definitely bi, more so than even Joseph. He’s such a pretty boy. Gio feels like an easy win for bi, if only because of his father. Honestly, it feels like a hollow victory, but not because he isn’t wanted.

I think that’s just about enough for a blog post, right? I keep looking to my bookshelf for inspiration, and I have so much yuri that it’s not helpful. I also wanted more masculine entries, but what can I say? Masculinity is intimidating to me. Everyone in Days of Fes is bi, but that goes without saying; the book itself is bi. So yeah, that’s all of it. It’s great when head canon like this become text, like with Crona in Soul Eater. Just remember: Even if all of your queer head canon become text, there’s never enough of us in fiction! Keep going!